Everything I Need to Know
by Bella Regia
Summary: Kindergarten teachers see more in a week than most people see in a year. Come see a typical kindergarten school day for Esme with a handful of Forks' kids. AU/AH
1. 4 year olds

**This is more of a comedic turn for me, hope it doesn't FAIL! It'll be a mini-story, no more than 5 chapters give or take. Oh yeah, all of these situations have happened at one point or another in my teaching career. **

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"Emmet's in the glue again!" I called out to Kate.

My assistant hurried over to Emmett's table, gently prying the bottle away from him. "How did you get into the cabinet?" Kate put the cap back on and set it out of reach.

Emmett now sported a thick Elmer's mustache on his upper lip. "I climbed on the chair and Jazz gave me a boost." Kate rolled her eyes as she wiped off the glue and I glanced at Jasper. He was grinning in a cute manner, as if to say, _You can't punish this face, come on!_ It must be mid-morning at Forks Institute.

"What is it with you and the glue?" I herded Emmett and Jasper over to the blocks.

"It's gooey and nice, Ms. Esme," Emmett shrugged as he picked up the blocks and immediately engaged in a tower-building contest with Jasper. He was the only one who called me by my first name, instead of the usual Ms. Platt.

I walked over to Kate and helped her set up the next activity. "Let's just keep an eye on him. If he turns green, just pick him up and haul it to Ms. Cope's." The nurse had seen her fair share of Emmett at her office. "We don't want a repeat of the turtle incident." Kate grimaced.

Emmett had scarfed down the turtle food pellets on a dare from his brother, Jasper. Twenty minutes later, he was upchucking all over his collage paper and sent the rest of the kids screaming and running for the recess yard.

Later, we sat the kids down for circle time. I looked around at all my children—Emmett, Jasper, Bella, Edward, Michael, Rosalie, Tyler, Alice, Eric, Jessica, Lauren, Angela, Ben, Lee… I loved them as though they were my own. At 33, though I still looked so much younger, most of my fellow teachers and parents had written me off as a typical spinster teacher. It didn't bother me as much as the fact that I'd known since my 20s that I couldn't have kids.

That was one of the reasons that prompted me to become an early education teacher. So far, it was doing an adequate job filling the void. But I still loved my work passionately.

We began singing our daily songs, reviewing days of the week, numbers, and ABCs. Bella, Edward, and Alice were amongst my brightest kids. So after circle time, I sat down to work with them independently and introduce slightly more advanced concepts.

When I dismissed them right before snack time, I took a few minutes to stroll around and watch the kids work. I mediated an argument between Rosalie and Lauren, who were fighting over the princess costume at the dress-up drama center. Michael, Ben, Jessica, and Angela were drawing with crayons, quietly for once. Alice, Lee, and Eric had joined Emmett and Jasper at the blocks, and then I noticed one kid unaccounted for. I quickly found Tyler under one of the tables. He was eating the yellow Play-Doh. I coaxed him out and assured him snack time was only five minutes away.

Bella and Edward were making an unholy racket with the musical instruments. I took this as a sign to begin singing our clean-up song and the kids immediately put all the toys away; they took their seats at their assigned tables.

Kate and I picked the least fidgety kids first to go wash their hands at the miniature sink and get their lunchboxes from their cubbyholes. The smell of tuna fish, peanut butter and jelly, and bananas filled the air. We walked amongst the tables, opening cookie bags and punching straws through juice boxes.

The only incident during snack time was Jasper squeezing his juice box a little too enthusiastically and spilling grape juice all over Alice. Bella comforted her while Edward looked on solemnly, and Rosalie managed to convince Alice that the purple stains actually worked with her pink dress. Jasper actually appeared slightly ashamed under Alice's tearful gaze and even managed a soft, "Sorry," for Alice.

After snack and recess time, which Kate and I spent pushing the children on the swings, we had a quiet activity period. Kids glued yellow paper squares onto a bus ditto. We kept a close eye on Emmett's use of glue.

Dismissal time came all too soon. Kate took the carpool kids and joined the other teachers for the dismissal duty. I had the individual pick-up kids this week. I managed to juggle the usual chaos of jackets, lunchboxes, and art projects while waving the kids goodbye and handing out one-armed hugs.

I knew the kids would be back tomorrow, yet couldn't keep from feeling a quick, queer stab of pain that had more to do with the sight of children like Edward Masen. Both his parents came to pick him up everyday. It was bittersweet to see his parents kiss each other and cuddle Edward as they loaded him into the car, chatting all the while. I longed for closeness, family, love.

But never mind. I shook my head, indulging in my pessimistic thoughts. Kate and I returned to the classroom, sighing as we had survived another day.

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**I know Ms. Cope was the office secretary, not the nurse. Deal with it. To****o OOC? Think it's too much for a single day? Think about the fact that this, for me, would be a small classroom—Esme has 14 kids, we have 24. It may feel like they're not watching them at all, what with the glue and clay eating, but trust me, it happens. Reviews please!**


	2. Another Day

**I've just realized my handwritten draft for this chapter is long as HELL hahaha… Enjoy the quick update, my lovelies! And keep those reviews coming, I squeal like a fangirl when I see the alerts in my inbox. **

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As soon as I woke up, I felt it would be one of those days. The phrase is common enough; but amongst teachers, it holds portentous, ominous meanings. Kind of like saying, "The kids sure are quiet today," before disaster strikes. We all know better than to utter the q-word.

All during morning circle time, the children were restless. Kate and I had our hands full when we had them working at different centers. Lauren went on a crying jag after she spilled her crayons on the floor. Nothing on earth could convince her that it wasn't the end of the world. Her wailing left me feeling frazzled.

The children had fallen naturally quiet as Lauren cried, but once she calmed down somewhat, things picked up where they left off. Kate sent Jasper to the 'thinking chair' when she overheard him teaching Angela and Ben swear words he learned from HBO. Kate had a talk with him about appropriate language and I sighed, sitting at my desk for five minutes to write Mrs. Whitlock a note regarding Jasper's TV-watching habits.

Edward came running up to me. "Ms. Platt! Ms. Platt! Bella bit me!" He held his arm up to me. I examined it carefully in my hands. I was very surprised at this; Bella was most definitely _not_ one of the biters. But sure enough, there were teeth marks; just a soft crescent imprint. Thankfully, she hadn't broken through the skin.

I walked up to Bella, Edward in tow. "Bella, what happened?" She was blushing furiously in frustration.

"He wouldn't play house with me! I told him he had to be the daddy, and he didn't wanna!" Bella's indignation was pretty funny, but the biting had to be addressed. I did my best to keep a straight face as I told Bella that she had hurt Edward, and how biting was for small puppies and not for big kindergarten girls. She apologized to Edward, still blushing, but with chagrin.

The crap didn't really hit the fan until recess, though. As I pushed children on the swings, I glimpsed Emmett, Mike, Jasper, and Edward at the far corner of the playground, chucking rocks over the chain link fence.

"Emmett, stop that, please!" I signaled Kate over as I trotted briskly over to the huddle of boys. But I didn't get there fast enough.

Emmett heard me call out and turned towards me, just as he let fly a sizable chunk of rock. His aim was off; instead of sailing over the fence, it bounced back off the links and hit Mike on the forehead.

Mike cried out and stumbled back, cupping his hands over his face. Immediately, a trickle of blood seeped through his fingers, running down his face and staining his shirt.

"Duuuuude!" Jazz and the boys gathered around Mike, trying to peek into Mike's face to see the wound. I would never understand boys and their endless fascination with cuts, scrapes, and blood.

"Mike, are you alright?" I kneeled before him, just as I noticed the cut beginning to bleed copiously. I was shaken, but not panicking. I knew head wounds bled more than most, but until we could clean it up some, we couldn't be sure.

"Mikey, I'm so sorry!" Emmett stood next to us, looking mortified. He knew he was in trouble, but I just shook my head.

"Please go with Ms. Kate and tell her she's in charge until I come back. I'm taking Mike to Ms. Cope's office." I led Michael carefully across the playground, while he still held onto his head. It was lucky I wasn't squeamish—he was leaving a faint trail of blood droplets on the Astroturf.

Once inside, Shelly Cope blotted the wound with a towel while Mike sat trembling slightly on the leather cot. The cut wasn't long, but it ran deep.

Ms. Cope said quietly, "Esme, I'm afraid he'll need stitches. I'll call the ambulance service and you contact the parents."

I comforted Mike while pulling out my cell phone. I dialed the Newtons' and his mother answered on the second ring. I filled her in quickly on the situation, and she only had one brief moment of panic. I managed to calm her down, and she said she'd meet us at the ER.

Shelly and I made it to the main office; I pressed a towel to Mike's head as the ambulance pulled up into the parking lot. Mike and I were bundled into the back, as the vehicle sped towards Forks' only hospital. I'd been there a few times before, with some injured students. Usually, nothing serious so far: a couple of broken arms from the jungle gym and more stitches.

We waited patiently in the ER for a doctor to see us. Mike was still looking pale, but much calmer. I explained to him patiently, telling him that a doctor had to stitch up the cut, but he'd be fine in no time. He whimpered for his mother, and I assured him that she was on her way.

No sooner had I spoken, two people joined us next to the partition curtain. One was Mrs. Newton; the other was the most handsome man I had ever seen in my life.

I knew he wasn't Mr. Newton; he was at work and besides, I'd met him at Parents' Night and he looked nothing like this man before me. This man was wearing the requisite white doctor's coat, over impeccable dress pants and shirt with a blue tie. The blue matched his beautiful eyes, glinting with good humor and something else I couldn't place.

"Mrs. Newton? I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen. I'm the attending physician. I'd like to examine your son…" he glanced at the chart in his hand, "Michael." He gestured for me to step away from Mike as he got closer, pulling on rubber gloves and prodding at the child's forehead.

I needed to clear things up _immediately_. "Oh, I'm not Mrs. Newton. I'm Ms. Esme—I mean, Ms. Platt… um, Esme Platt, the teacher." Smooth, Esme, real smooth.

"I'm Mrs. Newton, doctor. Will he be alright?" Mike's mother hovered anxiously near, holding her son's hand and stroking it softly.

"It looks worse than it is; he'll only need about five stitches," Dr. Cullen said. He smiled down at Mike, who stared back apprehensively. "Well, let me take care of this right away. You'll be home and playing with your Wii in no time." He glanced back at me. "Usually, the residents do this, but we're short-staffed at the moment. It'll only take a few minutes."

A nurse peered around the curtain and addressed Mrs. Newton. "Ma'am? We need you to fill in some forms and insurance papers. Could you please come with me?"

"Don't worry, Karen, I'll stay with him." I stepped closer and put my hand on Mike's shoulder reassuringly. She looked slightly mollified, and followed the nurse a bit reluctantly. Michael was staring with bug-eyes as Dr. Cullen—_Carlisle_—prepared a tray with a needle, blue thread, scissors, gauze pads, and other unidentifiable items.

"Okay, dude, this might sting a little, but just breathe in. It's only for a few seconds." I liked how he didn't sugarcoat the fact that it would be painful, and Mike nodded slightly. He reached for my hand and I gave it, as the needle touched his skin and he squeezed, _hard_. I winced, but didn't loosen my grip.

I watched as Dr. Cullen began stitching up the gash, his movements confident and precise. I couldn't look away, even though I probably looked like a morbid gawking bystander at a crash scene. It didn't escape his notice.

"So, glad to see you're not the squeamish type." He grinned, and reached for the scissors to snip the thread. "Most people look the other way."

"Oh, it's not my first time." I realized how it might be interpreted, even though I was sure he wasn't thinking what _I_ was thinking. "I mean, you know… with stitches." I blushed like an idiot, and saw Mike looking up at me.

"Don't move, please." Dr. Cullen pursed his lips as he set the last stitch, and covered the wound with a gauze pad and tape. "There, all finished. You'll have to come back next week so I can remove the stitches, but after that, you'll have a small, but really cool scar to show to your friends." He winked at us as he cleaned up his work area.

"Awesome!" Mike touched the gauze gingerly and hopped off the gurney, still holding my hand.

I smiled at Dr. Cullen as he filled Mike's chart for release.

"You certainly know what 4-year-olds like. He'll show that scar like a battle wound." My heart was pounding like crazy. What was it about this man? I wanted to rip off the coat, slam him onto the bed, and shut the curtain around us for privacy. _Stop it, Esme! So inappropriate! _

"I have a nephew his age. I'm all about the video games, Star Wars, and blood and gore." We walked into the ER waiting room where Karen Newton was currently sitting, signing papers. Mike let go of my hand and ran to her, going "Look, mom! Cool!" I doubted Karen thought it was cool, but now that Mike was fine, she seemed more appeased.

"He's ready to go, Mrs. Newton. If you'll just sign here…" Dr. Cullen handed over the chart and ripped the top half of the sheet, giving it to Mike's mother. "These are just some general care instructions. Just be careful washing around the area, and come back in a week for stitch removal."

"Again, Karen, I'm sorry for what happened." I reached over and stroked Mike's face, and he giggled goofily as he hid behind his mother.

"Don't worry, Esme. Boys will be boys, I know." She smiled and took Mike's hand. "I might keep him home tomorrow; give him some time to rest. Thank you, doctor." She shook Dr. Cullen's hand and left.

I was left to stand there awkwardly, unsure of what to do. The ambulance had driven us over, but now I had to get back to the Institute. My car was still there; I glanced at my watch. Dismissal duty was practically over. I had to get back.

"Um, well… it was very nice to meet you. Thank you, for everything. I think you managed to diffuse some mom-type rage back there." I smiled faintly, and reached for my phone. "I'll just call a cab. I need to get back to school."

"You rode the ambulance?" I nodded. "Well, if you'd like, I can give you a ride. My shift is over." _Ride you? I mean, ride _with_ you? In the words of Michael Newton, _awesome.

"If you're sure I wouldn't be imposing…"

"Not at all." He gave me another of his easy smiles. "Just let me get my stuff."

I waited nervously, fidgeting. When he shook Mrs. Newton's hand, I'd noticed he was left-handed, and wasn't wearing any rings. Well, of course that didn't mean much; in his line of work, perhaps he preferred not to sully his wedding ring with other people's blood and puke. I sighed. I was turning into a stalker.

"Ready?" He emerged from behind the nurse's station, hoisting a backpack. I cracked a smile, picturing him as a kindergartener. He seemed to follow my train of thought.

"I like it. Much easier than carrying a briefcase—you can fit _everything_ in here." Dr. Cullen led the way to the elevators and the basement parking garage. We climbed into an understated silver Volvo and drove off.

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**Slight cliffie. The chapter was getting a little too long. In the words of ****movie Alice, "Show me the love!" **


	3. Possibilities

"You work at Forks Institute?" He fiddled with the radio and settled on a station playing classical music. It did nothing to soothe my nerves. Wait, he asked me a question… where did I work?

"Oh, um, yes, the Institute." _Get a grip!_ "I teach kindergarten. Fourteen kids… chaos, you know." I didn't want to sound incompetent, having injured kids left and right. "Oh, but, my assistant Kate, and I, we really love our jobs. Emmett, you know, the kid who threw the rock… they were just fooling around. Didn't see it bounce back." I sighed. "I hope Kate didn't have a hard time while I was gone."

"Emmett McCarty?" He turned to me and grinned. _Be still, my heart._ "Would you happen to be Edward Masen's teacher as well?"

"Do you know them?" How come I'd never seen him at the school before?

"Edward's my nephew. Emmett's his best friend." Dr. Cullen signaled, made a right turn. We were almost at the school.

"Oh." How eloquent. _Say something else!_ "Does he talk about me?" _Oh great, regress to high school while you're at it. Stop talking!_

"Only that you're his 'most favorite teacher ever'. His words," he said in a teasing voice. I smiled, blushing again. I gripped the armrest on the door. He turned into the school's visitor parking lot. Our time was almost up and I was still rambling like an idiot. And I didn't know exactly what I wanted from our brief encounter.

I settled for showing him gratitude. "Thank you… for what you did for Mike. You really made him not afraid. You're great with kids."

"According to Edward, I'm not as good as you. Babysitting for my sister and her husband feels like good prep for when I have my own kids someday." _Aaaaand there it is._

"Oh," I said meekly. "Is your wife expecting, Dr. Cullen?"

"Carlisle, please. And um, no, I don't have a wife. I'm not married. The hospital keeps me fairly busy… I don't often go out." It sounded slightly like my own rambling.

My brain pretty much checked out after the 'no wife' part. I'm sure I was wearing a ridiculous grin, which I immediately tried to wipe off my face.

"Well… Carlisle… that's too bad. Hope you… catch a break soon. Get some rest, you know." _Okay, Esme, get out before you say something stupid._ "Thanks for the ride." I offered my hand to him and Carlisle took it, grasping it gently in his own. I swear, I felt tingles shoot all the way up my arm.

"Anytime. Take care of those kids. They're lucky to have such a dedicated teacher." He released my hand and I turned towards the door, my face flushing red. I pushed it open and climbed out without falling.

"Goodbye, Carlisle," I managed to say before shutting the door. He gave me a wave and I stepped away from the Volvo. I stood there until the silver car left the parking lot and was out of sight.

I walked slowly to my classroom, barely registering when I arrived. I felt like I was walking on clouds. _So this is what they mean_…

Kate was in the classroom when I entered, straightening up the place before she left for the day. When I dropped into my desk chair, she turned to me, and almost gasped at the look on my face. I probably looked stoned or something.

"Esme, what on earth happened to you? Are you okay?"

"I'm more than okay, Kate. Dr. Carlisle Cullen happened."

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**Do you love me or what? 2 updates in one day? I'm positively shocked and thrilled at the response this story's getting; so many favorites and alerts! I'm tickled… and sorry to say we're practically at the end. Review?**


	4. Say Anything

**You guuuuuuuys!**** I can't believe the response this story's had so far… it's making me SQUEE too, especially when I see the reviews… BTW, I had to give the Volvo a little cameo, since Edward doesn't get to drive in this one… here is our lovely couple's conclusion.**

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"So after you left with Mike in the ambulance, the principal came and collected Emmett and took him to her office. She called his parents in and everything. I mean, it was an accident, sort of, though he knows he shouldn't be throwing rocks—Esme, are you listening to me?"

"Sorry Kate?" My mind was in a daze. I was busy helping Bella punch her straw into her juice box, but couldn't find the damn hole. I finally gave up and handed it to Kate. "You know, it's just—"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Kate smirked, giving the juice back to Bella. "Your head's still in that ER, huh? Or in the Volvo?"

"Both. Like you wouldn't believe." I had been replaying our little encounter over and over since the previous afternoon. I had finally fallen asleep at around 1 AM, which did nothing to help my hazy state. I'd stayed up trying to figure out ways to see Carlisle again; short of landing myself in the hospital with some sort of injury, I couldn't think of anything that might put me in his path again.

I glanced at Edward, slurping happily on his Capri Sun and sharing a quarter of his PBJ sandwich with Emmett. Now that I knew his uncle, I could see a certain resemblance. Edward looked a lot like his mom, Elizabeth. They had an odd bronze cast to their hair and emerald eyes. Carlisle was blonde and blue-eyed, yet there was something in their easy-going attitude and quick smiles that marked them as kin.

We released the kids into the playground once they had cleaned up the classroom. I tried to keep my wits about me, knowing that in a second, things could go horribly awry. While I took my turn pushing at the swings, mindlessly shoving my arms back and forth, I watched as Kate sent Eric to Ms. Cope's office for some Pepto; Jessica had been feeding him mud pies. The little girl went to the girls' room to wash off her hands. I kept pushing.

Nothing was really getting through to me today. I didn't know what it was about Carlisle that had me in such a state. I mean, seriously, a one-time encounter? And I was ready to hand over the farm and everything? The guy barely knew my name. Granted, it seemed Edward talked a little bit about me when he saw his uncle, but hardly enough for me to do something really drastic. Like _call him and ask him out_. I shivered at the thought.

Before the bell rang signaling the end of recess, Mrs. Goff, the other kindergarten teacher on duty, caught Tyler and Lauren in the patio playhouse. Kate took the kids back inside as Mrs. Goff and I sat down with these two and discussed appropriate behavior. We tried to really get the point across that our bodies were private and it was definitely not okay to strip and 'explore' each other, despite their curiosity. Mrs. Goff finally left, leaving me to herd Tyler and Lauren back to the classroom and I sat down to write yet another note home regarding this situation.

The intercom on my desk buzzed suddenly. "Yes?"

"Esme? Sorry to bother you, but we have an early-pick up. Can you send Edward Masen to the main office please?"

"Sure. I'll walk him over." I stood up and collected Edward's belongings. He waved goodbye to his friends and took my hand as we walked through the Institute's hallways to the office.

"So Edward, starting the weekend early?" I looked down and smiled at him.

"Yes, Ms. Platt. We're going camping! My dad got me this giant blue tent at the Newtons' store. Six people can sleep inside!" His excitement was palpable and I chuckled.

"Really? Well, if you take any pictures, bring them for show-and-tell next week." I pushed open the door to the main office and nearly choked.

Waiting for Edward was none other than Carlisle. His face broke into a heart-stopping smile as he bent down and caught Edward as the little boy hurtled himself into his arms.

"Hey, dude! Ready to go?" Carlisle mussed Edward's hair as he laughed, trying to dodge his uncle's hand.

"I, um… brought his things," I stammered. Why, oh, why did this man reduce me to a mumbling imbecile? Where was the wit, the charm, the stupid sign on my forehead that said, _I adore you… in frightening ways?_

"Thanks, Ms. Platt." He reached over, and hesitated for a moment over the hand holding Edward's backpack and coat. "May I call you Esme?"

_I hope you'll be screaming Esme… in bed. _Oh dear God, what was _wrong_ with me?

"Um, yeah, Esme's fine." I managed a not-so-idiotic smile as Carlisle took Edward's belongings. I had to say something else before they left!

"So, Edward tells me you're going camping." I gripped the edge of the counter and leaned against it for support. Anything to prolong this conversation, which I knew would probably be very brief.

"Yeah, it's my sister's wedding anniversary, so I'm taking this little guy off her hands for the weekend." Carlisle smiled as Edward tugged on his hand, eager to be going. "We'll be back on Sunday afternoon."

"That sounds nice." And _that_ sounded pathetic. I took a deep breath, and tried to find a way to extricate myself _without_ embarrassing myself. "So…"

"Well. I guess it's time to go." Carlisle looked over at Edward, who was halfway out the door, calling out, "Bye, Ms. Plaaaaaaaaaatt!"

"Have fun and be careful," I said. I could have smacked myself. What a total _mom_ thing to say!

Carlisle didn't seem to mind. "We will." He followed Edward to the door, but paused when he reached the threshold.

He turned to me and smiled again. "Um, Esme… I was wondering… when we get back from camping on Sunday, you know… after… would you care to join me for dinner?"

Oh. My. God.

There it was. Carlisle actually asked me out. I didn't think God granted immediate prayers. I didn't even think He'd been listening. Oh. My. God.

Crap, wait—he was still expecting me to answer. I shook my head slightly, stunned. His smile faltered for a second as I still stood there, gaping like a total moron.

"Sunday?" My voice almost cracked at the end, making it sound like a question.

"Oh, I understand if you're busy," he stammered quickly. "I know it's a weird day for a date, but I'm starting on nights at the hospital, and otherwise, I don't really have a chance to… I mean, not that I don't want—have, you know… _dammit_."

Love. Complete, utter, and total _love._

Here he was, Dr. Carlisle Cullen, rambling and mumbling like a nervous wreck. Like _me_.

Edward's voice suddenly interrupted us. "Come on, Uncle Carlisle! Let's goooo!" He still tugged impatiently on his hand, jumping up and down in frustration.

Oops, still waiting for an actual answer. "Oh, no, don't worry—I mean, Sunday's fine, it's perfect. Um… well…"

"Oh, yeah, here. Sorry." Carlisle reached with his free hand into his coat pocket and pulled out his cell. "Just, um, program your number in. And, uh, call your own cell, so you'll have _my_ number… just in case." He ducked his head in the most adorable way. "In case of emergency… or if you need to cancel, whatever."

Cancel? A snowball's chance in _hell_. "Thanks. I put in both my cell and home numbers. Sometimes I don't hear the Nokia ring. It's usually buried in my purse somewhere." _Stop talking. Now. Don't blow this. _I smiled and handed his cell phone back to him.

Edward suddenly jerked him hard and Carlisle stumbled through the office door. He nearly dropped the phone; he caught it and stood there, looking flustered. _Love…_

"Okay, now it's really time to go. I'll call you on Sunday, okay?" He flashed me another breath-taking smile before trailing after Edward into the visitors' parking lot. I watched as he strapped Edward safely into the backseat and then climbed in. I stared after the car as it drove off.

I had a date with Dr. Carlisle Cullen. Even he had actually used the word _date_. Date, date, date…

I traipsed back to the classroom, barely paying attention as I floated through the door. Kate got one look at my face and practically squealed. "What happened now? Tell me, tell me!"

She sat me down at one of the kids' tables, while they kept on working in their centers activities. I managed to fill her in on the most important details of my conversation with Carlisle—namely, the _date_ part.

"Oh, Esme, I'm so happy for you!" She gave me a quick hug and jumped up from the tiny chair. "This is so… so—"

"Awesome!" A little voice supplied from behind us. We whipped around to find Emmett standing there, grinning from ear to ear. I wasn't sure how much of the conversation he'd heard—or understood—but it was clear he wasn't supposed to be here.

"Emmett! Why are you eavesdropping on grown people's conversations?" I huffed.

"I wasn't eave-leaf-popping. Ms. Kate told me to stay close to her," Emmett explained patiently.

"Why is that, Emmett?" I arched my eyebrow at him and Kate.

"Oh, yeah. Forgot to tell you. Alice got into the glitter jars. Made a huge mess… we'll be sweeping purple glitter from here until Christmas." Kate looked sheepish. I smiled, knowing that it wasn't her fault.

"Okay, but what is Emmett—"

"Well, while I was shaking the glitter off Alice's clothes, Emmett got Jazz to boost him into the cabinets again and he got the scissors."

"Oh!" I took Emmett's hands in mine and searched him for scratches. "Is he hurt?"

"No, but Rose needs a new haircut."

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**Thanks for reading! I'm ****hope you liked the ending…Did you catch the little nods to "Midnight Sun" embedded here and there? *wink*  
**

**Let me pimp out the next one, which I really really really hope you'll read & rec & review over and over… it will be called **_**Regresa. **_**I've got the first chapter laid out already and hope to post it tomorrow. Here's the synopsis:**

**:: Bella learns she has lived many past lives through regression therapy. She wakes up one day and she is no longer herself, but 400-year-old Spanish royalty, waiting for her true love. :: B&E/AU/AH**


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